Drink questions

SmallenForever

I'm trying to figure out how much and what all to provide at my reception. It's all BYOB, so I'm in charge of bringing everything. Our venue provides tea, coffee, and water for free. 

We plan on having beer, wine, champaigne, and soft drinks. I've been doing calculators online to find out how much, but most of those calculators want me to tell them things that I don't know. For example, I have no idea who drinks beer and who drinks wine. I have no idea how many drinks I should have per person. So if anyone could answer any of these questions, I'd appreciate it:

How much beer, wine, and champaigne do I need?

How many different varieties should I offer? I was going to do one type of red and white wine, but don't know how many different types of beer to offer. 

What kind of soft drinks should I offer? Or should I even bother? 

Thanks! Any help is appreciated. 

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

For beer, I'd offer at least 3 types. A light American lager, like Bud Light, Miller Light, Coors, etc. A medium-bodied, roastier type of beer, like Newcastle or Fat Tire. And probably an IPA, depending on where you live. I'm on the west coast where it's really popular. You can also add in a local beer that your out of town guests might really enjoy trying.

For wines, I'd probably do 3. A white and 2 reds (a merlot and something else - a pinor noir, a cabernet, etc). You could also do a white, a red and a blush, but if you don't know if people in your circle drink blush/rose wines, I'd skip it. The cheap ones aren't good, and the good ones will probably not be worth the time and effort.

Plan on 2 drinks per person for the first hour and 1 drink per hour thereafter. So for a 4 hour reception, it will be 5 drinks per person.

Kegs of beer will be more economical than bottles. Similarly, you can look for magnums of champagne or wine, which might be cheaper than bottles.

bridget4mcg

Your two per first hour and one per hour after that equation is spot on. I tend to add twenty percent additional just in case, and make sure anything unopened can be returned.